I am starting to sound like a broken record, but all four of this month's wines are worthy of your attention - there's two organic wines from New Zealand, a wonderful red blend from Portugal, and a Cabernet made by an Oakland Hills resident (who used to be an Alamedan).
First off is Bel Echo Sauvignon Blanc, an organically farmed SB made in the Sancerre style by Clos Henri - owned by the internationally recognized winemaking family of Henri Bourgeois of Sancerre, France. For ten generations, the family has crafted premium quality Sauvignon blanc and Pinot noir wines and in 2000 chose 200 acres of native Marlborough pastures to continue their passion abroad. This is a rich, creamy Sauvignon Blanc with gooseberry, mineral, and bready yeast lees flavors. Quite complex wine with a great texture and lingering finish.
Bel Echo Pinot Noir expresses generous delicate plum and cherry aromas, with a hint of cinnamon and clove on the nose with pleasant flinty notes. Supple and harmonious, with very good depth to black plum, gravel and lively wild berry flavors. Mineral, fruit and herb notes integrate gracefully, with judicious oak and lithe tannins.
Quinta do Coa is an organically farmed Portuguese red wine blend. The heat and sub-Saharan nature of the Coa Valley and Douro Superior in general would easily lead one to expect the reds from Quinta do Coa to be huge fruit bombs, but this is rarely the case. In fact, even in a warm vintage like this, the wine has an elegance and welcome restraint to it. Very finely grained fruit and wood tannins provide the structure for a lovely purity of fruit character – mulberries and cherries, and good length. A blend of Touriga National, Tinta Roriz, & Touriga Franca.
Tudal Family Winery 50/50 - John Tudal is the son of Bay Farm truck farmers who bought some land in Napa in the seventies and planted grapes. Over the years they have made well-priced and well balanced wines. 50/50 is so named because half the fruit comes from the estate vineyard in Napa, while the other half comes from a vineyard in Geyserville (Alesander Valley). Black-red in color, dry, medium full-bodied with fresh acidity. Dusty-lively with red and black cherry berry fruit along with minerally-gravelly earth, subtle oak. Very long finish; delicious, elegant, lively.
Recipes:
For the Sauvignon Blanc
Penne with Spinach, Ricotta and Meyer Lemon Zest
When making tortelloni filled with spinach and ricotta I sometimes ended up with leftover filling. It occurred to me that it would make a very nice pasta sauce, so I added a little cream to the mixture and it was delicious. If you use the packaged baby spinach, it is also very quick and simple to prepare.
Serves 4
6 ounces fresh baby spinach
1/2 medium yellow onion
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound penne pasta
3/4 cup whole milk ricotta
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated whole nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Fill a pot for the pasta with about 6 quarts of water, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
Put about one inch of water in a pot large enough to cook the spinach. Place it over high heat. When the water boils, add a teaspoon salt and the spinach. Cook until the spinach is quite tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and squeeze out as much water as possible by pressing on the spinach with a spoon. Transfer the spinach to a cutting board and finely chop it.
While the spinach is cooking, peel the onion and finely chop it. Put the butter in a 12-inch skillet, add the onion, and place over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion until it turns a rich golden color, about 5 minutes.
When the water for the pasta is boiling, add about 2 tablespoons salt, add the penne, and stir well. Cook until al dente.
When the onion is ready, add the spinach and sauté, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add the ricotta, cream, and nutmeg, and cook until the ricotta has heated through and the cream is reduced, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and adjust for salt and season with pepper, then remove from the heat.
When the pasta is done, drain well, toss with the sauce and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Zest the meyer lemons over the pasta, and serve at once.
For the Pinot
Roasted Veal Loin Chops with Pearl Onions, Fava Beans and Soft Polenta
This spring dish, one I have featured on menus in the past around this time of the year, will pair beautifully with this month's selection.
Serves 4
1 1/2 pounds fresh fava beans
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 ounces red pearl onions
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chicken stock
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed with a knife
1 sprig thyme
1/2 cup quick cooking polenta
Salt and pepper to taste
1 ounce grated Pecorino Romano
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 veal loin chops, about 14-16 ounces each, cut 1' thick
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons high quality extra-virgin olive oil
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil over very high heat. Add the fava beans and cook for 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water. Remove the thick peel from each bean and set aside.
Bring another pot of salted water to a boil and add the pearl onions. Cook for 1 minute, drain (reserving 1 cup of the liquid) under cold water and peel with a sharp knife, trimming away the tops and bottoms. Bring the reserved cooking liquid to a boil with the 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the onions, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the onions are almost tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat, keeping the onions in their liquid.
In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, stock, garlic and thyme to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Remove the garlic and thyme. Return to a gentle simmer, and whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking constantly, until thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the grated cheese and stir in the butter until fully combined. Keep warm, covered, on the side of the stove.
Heat a very large saute pan over high heat until very hot. Season the veal chops with salt and pepper and cook until the chops are nicely browned on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Turn the chops and cook until the other side is seared, about 1 minute. Transfer to the oven, and roast until the undersides of the chops are browned, about 5 minutes. Continue roasting until for about 3 minutes more for medium-rare.
Add the fava beans to the onions and cook until just heated through, about 1 minute. Spoon the polenta just off center unto 4 large dinner plates. Place a veal chop next to the polenta, and spoon the pearl onions and peas next to both. Drizzle the olive oil around the plates
For the Cabernet
The herb butter for these steaks is an adaptation of a classic accompaniment called maître d' butter.
Serves
1 medium head of cauliflower, florets only
1 bunch of chard, cleaned, stem removed and chopped
1 leek, white and light green parts only, washed well and chopped
1/4 cup chopped shallot
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup cream
1-3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 onion, skin removed
2 cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
4 eight ounce flat iron steaks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons roughly chopped chives
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 tablespoons canola oil
Steam the cauliflower until tender crisp, about 10 minutes. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, saute the leek and shallot for a few minutes until just starting to turn golden. Add the chard and saute until just wilted. Mix with the cauliflower in a roasting pan.
Make the bechamel. Place the cream and milk in saucepan. Stick the 2 cloves into the half onion and add to the cream and milk mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat. Keep warm on the lowest setting. Melt the butter in a sauce pan. Add the flour and whisk until it begins to turn golden and smells "nutty" and no longer like raw flour. Add the cream and milk mixture (remove the clove studded onion) slowly, whisking as you go to keep it smooth. Add the nutmeg. Whisk over low heat until it thickens. Strain and return to the saucepan, add the Parmesan cheese and whisk until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce evenly over the cauliflower mixture. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until the top turns golden and it is heated through.
Rub steaks generously with salt and pepper and set aside to let rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Combine the butter, parsley, chives, and shallots with a fork in a medium bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper; cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 12" cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 steaks and cook, flipping once, until seared and medium rare, about 8 minutes. Transfer steaks to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining oil and steaks. To serve, smear each steak with 2 tbsp. of the herb butter.
For the Portugese Red Beef Rump Stew with Braised Green Beans
"Alcatra" means rump in Portugese, and this is a classic dish utilizing that particular cut of meat. The Quinta de Cao is a perfect foil for this gutsy stew.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 pound smoked bacon, cut into small cubes
1/4 pound pork fat, cut into small cubes
2 fresh bay leaves
8 allspice berries
6 black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 1/2 -3 pounds beef rump, cut into 6 pieces
4 cups Vinho Verde, or another dry white wine
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste combined with 1 cup hot water
Braised green beans
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Combine olive oil and melted butter, then brush a large earthenware baking dish or cast-iron casserole with the butter and oil mixture. In the baking dish, place a layer of onions, garlic, bacon, pork fat, herbs and spices, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add a layer of meat, followed by another layer of onions, bacon, pork fat, herbs, spices, salt and pepper. Repeat until all the ingredients have been used up, finishing with a layer of onions. Cover with the wine, vinegar, tomato paste mixture and 1 cup cold water. Cover with a lid and bake in a preheated oven at 325F for 1 hour, then lower the heat to 250F and bake for a further 2-3 hours, adding a little more water if the stew seems to be drying out. Remove the lid during the last hour of cooking.
Meanwhile, for the stewed runner beans, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened or for about 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the beans, enough water to just cover the mixture, season generously and simmer over low heat until tender or for about 20-30 minutes. Add parsley and serve with the beef
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